As with any business you choose to do business with, you should do a bit of homework before forking over your hard earned money:

- Is the company you are dealing with a true brick and mortar business?
Nothing beats seeing a part in your own hands before purchasing. While we admire those just starting out their own businesses, you should research a bit on the company history and their reputation before making a purchase. Most home-based businesses will be email only (most obvious are those website lacking a phone number and/or physical address).

- Do they stock the part you wish to purchase?
Drop-shipping should only be used when time is a constraint or in extreme cases, not as a primary means of doing business. Rather than simply listing everything on a site, those dealers should choose specific manufacturers to work with. A stocking inventory shows absolute loyalty to the brands they carry.

Anyone can offer a cheap price when no inventory or overhead is involved. Hope this helps in your buying decision.

It seems like half the vendors drop ship and probably don't even have a warehouse. Does this make them less of a vendor ? I have dealt with some companies in the past that drop ship and had the best price, no problems.